Meet the Client: James HarrisonJames Harrison, a 9-year-old male, is brought to the Emergency Department (ED) by his mother because he is short of breath and unable to sleep, due to coughing.

The client James Harrison is suffering from dyspnea on exertion

Explanation:

Dyspnea is a condition that arises when a person has difficulty breathing and gets short of breath upon exertion like coughing.

Shortness of breath (SOB) with coughing while sleeping is one of the common problems with young children due to acute respiratory illness. SOB can also be triggered due to underlying major respiratory illness like asthma, pneumonia, lung or heart diseases, or just due to anxiety also among children. Dyspnea at night can lead to paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.

The client’s respiratory rate should be measured (for children around 9 years old, it is 16 to 30 beats per minute); and if found abnormal, should undergo further tests like pulse oximetry to measure the oxygen saturation levels and other lung function tests to assess the primary cause of the symptoms.